You know what everyone needs after rampant robotic attacks and another iteration of clone wars? A vacation! That’s right everyone, you deserve this. CERES understands what you need. CERES is here for you all the time, so never doubt that this is a pleasure colony, and they are here to look after all of your needs. Kick your feet up, relax, and let CERES Recreation and Activity Necessity Keepers (Team RANK, that is) set you up with your ideal getaway.
It’s as if you can sense the incoming relaxation and luxury before you even completely finish loading. There’s the warmth encompassing your entire body as your code gets transferred into this particular ViViD Level. A cool, refreshing breeze hits you. The sounds of waves gently lapping against the coast fill you with relaxation. The sun, the sand, the surfs, it’s all there – welcome to the beach, baby!
An echoing greeting message from the ocean comes next, if you can translate it.
 OOOOOOOOOOOOHMAHH GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHD.
YOOOOOOOOOOOORRRALL SOOOOOOOOOOOOO KYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT.
KYOOOOOOOOOOOT EEEENAAAAUUUUUUUF TOOOOOOOOOOOOO EEEEEEEEEEEEEEET.
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PHASE I [ 08 00 ] That said, isn’t that breeze a little… too strong? It feels like it’s brushing up against all of you, if you know what I mean. When you open your eyes and look down, it becomes rather clear why. It seems that you’ve found yourself in some pretty interesting attire. Everyone. No exceptions. You appear to have two options – be overcome and scream like the Victorian maiden your heart says you are, or strut like a model in this stuff. Turn some heads! Work that up do!
But don’t worry, we’re also conscious about safety here at CERES! Therefore everyone’s also been provided a pair of super high-tech safety-tested appendage protection floatation devices (STAPFD for short.)
At least everyone around you is caught in the same sort of attire – and everyone around you also appears to be stuck inside a giant sand castle. It’s entirely malleable to what you want it to be! Want to see a fancy sand bidet? Feel like adding a sand statue in your honor? Think that wall should now be a door? Well, with enough perseverance, you can make it happen!
Just uh, be careful about getting sand in your… everywhere.
PHASE II [ 1000 ] Someone broke it. Not pointing any fingers, even though you sure do seem like a prime suspect, but someone broke it.
It almost starts like an earthquake with how the castle starts to rumble, the sand shaking right beneath your feet. And then the walls right next to you start to cave in followed promptly by the ceiling right… above your head. Oh dear. The sand starts to run and fall, losing its structure and shape. The hallway behind you starts to cave in, ceiling first and then the walls follow suit. Now the sand really is getting everywhere – but not just uncomfortable places. It’s in your hair, your eyes, your nose…. this sure doesn’t seem like a pleasant way to go!
Best to start running – there’s a trusty drawbridge to get over the moat (because what’s a sandcastle without a moat?) but who knows how long until that, too, is going to give way? Best to cross over it before it starts to shake and disappear too. Or if you don’t make it, hopefully you can land some pretty impressive airtime to make it to the other side!
If not, well...there'll be the sensation of sand crushing down upon you, filling your mouth and eyes, and you won't be able to breathe at all – and then you're alive again on the beach (but possibly in yet another new, uncomfortable, skimpy swimsuit). Honestly, be more careful, would you?
PHASE III [ 1200 ] However, once you do make it to the other side, it’s all smooth sailing from there! Or is it? Hah, as they say, life sure can be a beach.
Which is what this is.
Welcome to your Beach Episode, folks. Now that you’ve made it out of the collapsing sand castle, you’ve made it to the luxurious, picturesque golden coastline. Sure, you’re coughing up fine, luxurious, sand dust right now and you’ve definitely gotten sand in all of your crevices thanks to your swimsuit, but that’s okay! Go take a soak in the ocean or something or cool off with a smoothie. There’s a smoothie shack off into the distance, complete with a long chalkboard with… well, probably a few familiar names? And some unfamiliar ingredients. Sounds appetizing right?
That said, once you do ingest some of the smoothie with the name of a newcomer, you might suddenly find yourself feeling a bit… different. You’ll be taking on some of their traits, one of the most intense parts of their personality – or you might need to take a second to sit down because you’re suddenly seeing one of their memories. Whoa. What do they actually put in this stuff?
PHASE IV [ 1500 ] For the brave souls that venture out into the water, you have even more adventures waiting for you. Anyone who’s swimming around, wading in the water—hell, even looking at the water is getting scooped up and deposited in one of these giant orbs. But don’t take up too much room, because someone else is getting shoved right in there with you. Time to get cozy with your new friend, because it's only going to get worse as the waves begin to carry you out into this big, blue, virtual ocean. Hopefully the choppy waves don’t bounce you around too much or – well, you could always get really friendly with a stranger! Why not?
At least until it’s made very clear that fresh air does not make it back into these balls. That seems like a bit of a design flaw. Now what? Fight the other person who’s inhaling all your air? Suffer through it for swimsuit-clad fun? Or if you break it…. well, you sure are stranded out in the ocean. Or are you?
After enough flailing, you’ll be met by a giant, dumb-looking creature who will then eat you whole.
Everything goes dark. This is surely the end --
And then you're in Cerealia proper; it seems that was the exit to the level (but why there?) and you'll find yourself either in one of the fountains or the pond in the park. Either way, you'll be very, very well. And this time, that's not virtual. But hey, at least you'll have all of your stuff with you.
BONUS [ xxxx ] Do you hear that?
Anyone idle on the beach will hear a distant melody coming from further out into the ocean. It’s a beautiful, elegant song that automatically makes the listener stop what they’re doing and immediately wander toward the noise. It takes you a moment to recall – it takes a moment to think about anything now, really – but you remember hearing the smoothie shack owner say something about mermaids populating the beach. Could this be their song calling out to you? Whether you would normally abide by this kind of call or not, you find your feet walking further and further out into the water, the shallows lapping up to your ankles and up and up as you are drawn in by the song.
A rather classic song, though the usual instances of French are also replaced with the very enticing, enchanting nonsense promise of omelette du fromage........and then they try to drown you.
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Sulla Pinsky | ota
[So. Imagine, if you will, being whisked away to a totally new world, being told everyone important to you is dead, being told they might not actually be dead, and then being dumped into a virtual reality beach (sand! no! bad!) with... Wearing only a skimpy bottom-piece, with the flotation donut hanging over her chest.]
[Now, there's a reason she wears undershirts, other than a shyness about her body shape: There are circuit lines that show through her skin, bright and obvious. For a girl who'd always been taught to hide the fact that she's a robot, this is Not Good.]
[She wants to scream. She wants to scream - every fiber in her body is lighting with the urge, some primal embarrassment, like her brain is calling to its organic roots - but she knows, logically, that it'd only draw more attention to her.]
[So... Just ignore the lanky teenage girl with blue circuit lines down her shoulders and belly, slinking off to literally hide behind a palm tree. Actually, don't ignore her. That's no fun.]
three.
[Sulla's sipping on the drink named for her (that's creepy - how did they know she liked sweets? oh, they have her code. yeah), looking up at the list of names. That's quite a few people, she thinks; perhaps they're all like her, new people thrown into this new world with barely any direction. Maybe she'll order another, in a minute; for now, she's too focused on tasting what they think she tastes like. Oranges? Sure.]
[The drink tastes nice, at least, and it's probably almost pure sugar. She's probably not going to regret this later??]
[Or if you order the Sulla special... You might get a sudden desire to info-dump about your favorite interest, or a taste of this memory. And Sulla's lurking right there, eager to see your reaction. After a beat of wondering if she should talk, she does:]
It's pretty good, isn't it? [ISN'T IT?????]
four.
[So you're trapped in the plastic ball with a new friend. Because there's been so much happening, so much new random craziness, all she can do is look to the person, pause for a few seconds, and go:]
Weeeelp. [With a terribly nervous grin on her face, she starts to forge forward... Regardless of what the other person in there with her might want. Also, with superhuman strength. Enjoy bobbing along really aggressively. Wheeee!]
wild-card.
[hit me!!]
three
For a second, he looks completely out of it, then his eyes go wide as he seems to come back to an awareness of his surroundings and he looks back and forth warily then turns his gaze to the drink. What the hell just happened?]
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[But what catches her attention more than that is the wide-eyed look around, then to the drink. She steps closer with a frown creasing her brow, trying to figure out:] Wait, are you alright? Oh geez, did something weird happen...
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You... you're...
[Familiar. Not just because she's been sitting there, but something deeper than that. His eyes narrow a bit as he gives her a skeptical look. He's already figured out that they've named the drinks after people, so it's not hard to attach the name to the face.]
Sulla. Right?
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[But it actually takes her a moment to realize that some guy she doesn't know probably shouldn't know her name.]
Wait, you know my name? [P A U S E.... And then she looks to the board and raises both eyebrows, voice pitching up in recognition.] Ohhh, you saw it on the board! --But wait, then how would you know it's mine?
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He seems about to say something when he's distracted by a smoothie appearing in front of him. It's bright red and smells a little like nail polish but it doesn't taste bad. He's had one already... And between curiosity and confusion, maybe it's easiest to just demonstrate how he learned her name. He gestures toward the new drink.]
Have you tried this one yet?
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1
Buuut usually he's not doing it half naked. More than half. This is like, 95% naked. He's been put in one of those barely-there half-thong sling things. And Leon's not a guy with a lot of body shame—he's spent a whole lot of his life in locker rooms and is pretty chill with being seen in a state of undress, and he's athletic enough to not have much to be shy about—but. It's a completely different story when you're walking up to some strange, hiding, younger girl you've never met before. That's got some potential bad vibes, there.
The new girl gets his attention with her strange skin-lines, yeah. Not in a bad way. He's seen and heard weirder here in the colony; he'd gone on a kinda-date once with a girl who didn't have feet and could float in the air who had similar-looking circuitry. It's all cool with him, but it's still interesting, and so once he notices her, he steers in that direction to make sure she's okay:]
Yoooo, you all right? Is someone givin' you trouble?
[ . . . and then it catches up with him what this might look like, considering, and he lifts his hands, cheeks going a bit pink.]
I-I mean, not me! I'm not, I swear! It's not like I wanna be wearing this either, got it? I'm not some creep, proooomise!
[Nailed it.]
sorry for the wait but this'll go great tbh
[Sulla passes a hand over her face and tries not to pass out from humiliation. She'd gone behind the tree to get out of sight of weirdos, not as an invitation! And being seen like this, oh geez, everyone knows she's different now (though she'd seen some interesting markings on some people, maybe she's not that different? she'll work it out later, now is panic time) and Leon is not making it any better.]
[Well, he's not bad-looking, but. But!!]
N-no, nobody's giving me trouble! I just-! [FRANTIC HAND-WAVING.] Just.... Wwwwwanted to get out of the sun, is all! Don't want to get sunburned, and I feel like maybe I should find a towel, or something? Why did they put us in these things, anyway??
SUCH PROMISE
'Cuz they hate us? Basically. I guess it ain't really that, but they're big on screwing us around! They might as well hate us . . . anyway, uh, at least he's not just you?
[Trying real hard for reassuring statements of the year, here.]
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[She's not unfamiliar with the male body. She lives with her male creator. She had a male body until she got changed over to her current one. But. Beach. Why.]
[... But the mention of they hate us interests her more, and she perks up, raising both eyebrows.] They? You mean that CERES company, right? They said they 'saved' us, but... It doesn't feel right. --Oh, are you new, too, or have you been here for awhile?
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[Ha ha. Not really. To be fair, he realizes that too after he says it; it's a pretty dumb claim, and he looks immediately sheepish. But—]
I mean, maybe not, but the thing is it's not like anyone is . . . they try and keep us in the dark about most stuff. CERES, I mean. I've been here long enough that we've all figured some stuff out by now, but it's not like they're handing out pamphlets explaining what their deal is, y'know? And the stuff they do say—like you said, it doesn't feel right!
[He can get behind that part entirely. It hasn't felt right to him since the moment he woke up here, either.]
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four
Her expression is open and calm even as she tries to find a hand-hold:]
May I ask what you are doing? Where are you trying to go? Back to the shore?
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Well, I was just trying to get somewhere, aha. But back to the shore would be nice. At least, then I can--
[She reaches into the side of her swimsuit bottom (!) and retrieves a small pocket knife, flipping it open and closed.] I can cut us out. But it'd be a bad idea out here. Obviously.
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I see. Shall I help you, then? Surely with both of us doing this then we would be back more quickly?
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I think we can see the shore over that way. If we both step in tandem, we should be able to make it there and not... Well, fall all over the place, you know. You ready?
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[Maybe it has to do with how happy Sulla seems (for reasons unknown to Veronica for the moment) but she's kind of excited now too about this bubble thing. She's careful to look down though to make sure that they really do keep their steps in tandem.]
1
Let's forget about the reason why he dove for cover earlier like he was on a battlefield; currently, he is experiencing a great sympathy for someone who just hid behind a tree.]
Hey, uh. [He'll call out very politely.] Want me to find you something you can wrap around yourself?
[the battle is too hard to go alone]
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[Lines. Not quite circuit lines, or the way they'd be set up on a synthetic from her world, but she has to wonder... Is he? Are those tattoos-- No, she squints to get a better look, and they're glowing. He's not synthetic, but... Different. Different.]
[Maybe she can let her guard down a little, she thinks, but then she remembers she's not wearing a shirt. But he's offered to fix that, so!!]
Ohmigod, would you?? [RELIEF...] A towel! Where did you find that?
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I, well.
[Naoki lapses into a suspicious pause, punctuated by a cough.] I might've took it from the shack up the beach. I think I can probably still get away with grabbing another one.
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[If Naoki's suspicious, Sulla sure as hell doesn't register it.]
Do you think you should take another one, or should I go and find it? It's not that far, I mean... [She shifts from foot to foot, screwing her mouth up to one side. On one hand, she doesn't want to show herself anymore... But on the other hand, why would she put this guy out?] And why would they put towels in there and not just give them to us, anyway?
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I wouldn't think about it too hard. [Naoki furrows his eyebrows, then shaking one of his hands.] Why would they have stuck us in these to begin with, you know?
Anyway, just hold tight. I don't mind going to find one for you.
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three!
luckily for him, someone just ordered one of the more reasonable sounding drinks. he curiously looks over at sulla after she takes a sip.]
How does it taste?
sorry for the wait!
[(This guy doesn't look like the type to enjoy sugary things, though. Maybe it's better she warned him...?)]
But it's good! I mean, I didn't think I could trust it, but it seems to be working out okay. [A slightly nervous giggle. (After all, she's drinking her own drink; it just makes Sulla more Sulla.)]
no worries at all!
Exerting caution is a good attitude to have. [flynn turns toward the person tending the place.] Excuse me, could I have the same drink this young lady ordered?
[the price seems one of the least difficult ones to pay. he's pretty positive they can take the credit off his cerevice for it. ...somehow. god knows it's not on him right now. nowhere exists for it to be.]
one!
Which is why he steps over, not even really minding the way her body looks. He's seen weirder, honestly.. this place has made him grow a little too used to it. ]
Yo. Need a hand?